The Goodbye Girl (1977)

The film is best remembered for its cracking Neil Simon screenplay. Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss form a memorable duo in this joyful reminder of a romantic comedy genre.

This is a classy Broadway sitcom adaptation written by Neil Simon. Mason and Dreyfuss bring comic panache and vitality to the reluctant cohabitants, though the film flags once they get together.

The review praises the offbeat romantic casting of Dreyfuss and vibrant Mason as lovers in spite of themselves. It highlights strong performances from the leads and supporting cast in the Neil Simon script about reluctant roommates falling in love.

Ebert finds the film funny overall with its heart in the right place but notes unacknowledged complications and an unsympathetic female lead. He praises Richard Dreyfuss's performance and some later scenes while criticizing the first hour.

Kael dislikes the film's forced snappiness and two-liners, calling out Neil Simon's writing and the defensive, hostile lead character. She notes Dreyfuss brings the only moments of substance but finds the role demeaning.

Canby finds the film exhausting and not much fun, criticizing its relentless wisecracks that make it seem rude to its own characters. He notes the performances keep things afloat early on but the script undermines the characters.

The Goodbye Girl is a pretty old-fashioned romantic comedy that nonetheless became a major contender at the Academy Awards because it simply hit all the notes right. It set a record at the Academy Awards because Richard Dreyfuss became the youngest actor to ever win the Oscar for Best Actor.